Can Longevity Drugs and Lifestyle Extend Our Lifespan? - What Your GP Doesn't Tell You Podcast
Dr Rob Lufkin discusses what we can do to slow or stop the body's aging processes
The latest episode of the What Your GP Doesn’t Tell You Podcast - Can Longevity Drugs and Lifestyle Extend Our Lifespan? is now available on Apple , Spotify and other podcast platforms. And you can sign up to the podcast mailing list at What Your GP Doesn't Tell You, where you can also find out more about the pod. The next podcast episode will be available on Tuesday 13th June.
In this episode, I talk to Dr Robert Lufkin who has a particular research interest in the science of longevity. He says the aim is not to live longer when we’re frail and ill, but to extend our healthy years of life.
Amongst scientists studying longevity, there is still much that remains unknown about the biological processes that cause us to age. In this clip from his podcast interview, Lufkin discusses a couple of the current ideas:
Lufkin goes on to explain the critical importance of a biological protein known as mTOR, which helps regulate several essential cell functions, and reveals why he believes it also plays a key role in ageing:
Currently, there are a number of longevity drugs being investigated and Lufkin highlights one drug in particular called rapamycin which is showing early promise, a drug that he is actually taking himself.
In this clip, Lufkin explains what some of the research studies on the drug have shown so far:
Lufkin also discusses the critical role that it appears rapamycin plays in many common illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, which we are much more likely to develop as we age:
So, it seems that turning down mTOR can both have a major impact on life-threatening illnesses and also on a range of ageing processes from grey hair to menopause. But the biggest question of all is whether turning down mTOR could actually extend our lifespan:
While much research work remains to be done in this area - as Lufkin discusses in the full podcast interview - a number of other factors such as diet, exercise, stress, fasting and sleep remain key to good health and will also have a significant effect on mTOR and lifespan.
So if you want to increase your chances of longevity, a good place to start will be to ensure you choose the best and most healthy lifestyle you can.
Dr Robert Lufkin is currently Adjunct Clinical Professor of Radiology at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He is also Chief of Metabolic Imaging at a large medical network in southern California. Previously, Lufkin has been president of the Society of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, President of the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology. In addition to being a practicing physician, he is author of over 200 peer reviewed scientific papers and 14 books.
You can find out more about the podcast at What Your GP Doesn't Tell You and follow me on Twitter @lizctucker.
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People are fucking nuts. How about a podcast investigating the psychology behind why so many people would rather take a drug than do basic lifestyle changes to their diet and exercise levels? It absolutely baffles me that people would risk so much instead of doing really simple things like healthy eating and exercise.